Northern Knights and Leinster Lightning win at Bready
- Published
Ireland's Paul Stirling helped the Northern Knights set a record score
Leinster Lightning and Northern Knights both secured victories on the final day of the second Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Festival at Bready.
Lightning opened the third day of action with a 16-run victory over North West Warriors.
The Northern Knights defeats the Munster Reds by 23 runs in a record scoring game.
Gary Wilson's Knights top the table by four points over Lightning with one T20 Festival to play in September.
In the first match of the day, an unbeaten half-century from Leinster Lightning captain George Dockrell rescued his side from a perilous position after a dominant bowling display by the North West Warriors.
Dockrell was the only batter to get to grips with the pitch and conditions this morning, hitting five boundaries during his knock - including a superb drive off Shane Getkate on the third last ball of the innings to bring up his fifty from 42 balls.
Kevin O'Brien sparked earlier in the day with a hard-hitting 16, but after that there was little for the Lightning fans to cheer about as the Warriors bowlers - backed up by good fielding - contained the Leinster stars with a tight line and good use of change of pace.
Andy McBrine bowled exceptionally, taking 3-19 from his four overs, Craig Young again delivered as he finished with 2-21, and new man Ryan Macbeth bowled with great accuracy taking two big wickets - removing Simi Singh and Andrew Balbirnie.
The Lightning put on 29 runs for the 9th wicket - the highest partnership of the innings - to add some respectability to the score, but their total of 127-8 never looked enough for the in-form Warriors.
That script, however, was obviously not read by the Lightning's bowling unit. Barry McCarthy (3-20), Josh Little (2-16) and Simi Singh (2-20) created pressure and took wickets at regular intervals, while 19-year old leg-spinner and Player of the Match Gavin Hoey claimed his first wickets at inter-provincial level for a miserly 12 runs from his four overs.
For the Warriors, big-hitting William McClintock once more sent to ball to all parts of the ground for a run-a-ball 35, while Shane Getkate's 20 also looked impressive until he holed out at long off giving Hoey his first wicket. As wickets fell, runs became hard to come by and the Warriors lost 6-50 at the end, as the vocal home crowd gradually became quieter as the result became clearer.
Record scores at Bready
In the second match of the day between the Northern Knights and Munster Reds, the Knights batted first and lit up the Magheramason ground with their highest team total in the history of the Inter-Provincial T20 competition with 220-6 - surpassing 209-5 that they registered against the same opposition in 2017.
The innings was propelled from the outset by a scorching 46 from 23 balls from Paul Stirling - a knock that included five fours and four sixes. After Stirling fell, steering a full toss to Mike Frost at Point, Jeremy Lawlor took up the mantle and ensured the runs continued to flow. Lawlor's 81 came from just 42 balls, peppering the ball to or over the boundary 15 times in his 57 minute stay at the crease.
Ross Adair (20*) and Ruhan Pretorius (15*) put on 34 runs from the final 15 balls to post the record total, and which proved beyond the reach of the Reds batting line-up that was missing Murray Commins through injury.
Needing almost two runs a ball from the off, Munster Reds' openers PJ Moor (1) and Seamus Lynch (15) fell early - both setting the tone of the run chase by attempting to hit out in the early overs. With almost two runs a ball needed from the off, the Munster side had little option but to go hard from the start.
Matt Ford (57) and brother Greg Ford (26) put on 83 for the third wicket to inject interest in a seemingly forlorn run chase, but both brothers fell within 8 balls and the Munster fans hopes were almost extinguished.
Jack Carty (33) and Fionn Hand (44*) put on a quickfire 68-run stand from 33 balls - Carty striking three big sixes, and Hand playing shots around the ground including two memorable consecutive reverse sweeps for four off Ben White.
But despite Munster Reds registering their highest team score in Inter-Provincial T20 history, the Northern Knights ran out 23 run winners, with Jeremy Lawlor collecting Player of the Match.
The North West Warriors currently stand top of the table with the third and final Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy festival to be held in September.